Italian Unification
1859 – 1871
The smallest board here — fourteen territories, four powers — and the one that plays most like a puzzle. Sardinia has to unify a peninsula while Austria holds the north, so it rewards sequencing over strength: the order you take things in matters more than what you take.
The era at a glance
- Period
- 1859 – 1871
- Factions
- 4
- Board
- Italian Unification (1859–1871) — 14 territories
- Regions
- 6
- Players
- 2–8, any mix of people and AI
- Price
- Free. No download, no account required.
Who you can play
Each faction has its own passive strengths and one ability that changes how it fights. They are asymmetric on purpose — the same board plays differently depending on who you take.
- Kingdom of Sardinia
-
The catalyst of Italian unification — carbonari_network influence costs 1 fewer unit; +1 reinforce in Piedmont.
Savoyard reformers turn a compact northern kingdom into the diplomatic and military engine of Italian unification.
Ability: Unification Drive: once per turn, convert a neutral Italian territory within range at zero cost.
- Austrian Empire
-
Conservative power defending the old order — +2 defense dice in Austrian core territories.
Vienna defends its Italian possessions through garrisons, dynastic legitimacy, and a deep instinct for suppressing revolt.
Ability: Habsburg Garrison: once per turn, immediately place 2 units in any Austrian-held territory under threat.
- Papal States
-
Spiritual influence — carbonari_network range is halved against Papal territories; +1 defense die.
The Papal States wield spiritual authority and conservative loyalty, making central Italy as political as it is military.
Ability: Papal Dispensation: once per turn, prevent one influence attempt against any Papal territory.
- Kingdom of the Two Sicilies
-
Southern stronghold — +1 defense die; Garibaldi attack bonus is negated in Neapolitan territory.
The Bourbon south is resilient, regional, and wary of northern revolution, relying on stubborn defense and local control.
Ability: Bourbon Resistance: once per game, prevent an enemy from capturing Sicily for one full turn.
Regions and what they pay
- Northern Italy
- 0 territories · +4 per turn
- Adriatic & Romagna
- 0 territories · +3 per turn
- Central Italy
- 0 territories · +4 per turn
- Southern Mainland
- 0 territories · +4 per turn
- Deep South
- 0 territories · +2 per turn
- Sardinia
- 0 territories · +2 per turn
Play this era
Start a game and pick the era in the lobby, or let a full campaign carry you through the whole arc — a single game can begin with legions and end in orbit. Guest play needs no account.